Backyard Birding - Western Kingbird

I've loved moving around so much the past couple years because I get the opportunity to see such a variety of wildlife. Southern California, while it is very desert-y has quite the abundance of life and because it's finally spring we've seen an influx of so many cool new species and it's been so much fun. Trevor and I often spend time at his father's house on the weekends where we have access to a wildlife preserve and the opportunity to observe some really beautiful animals from the backyard. Just a couple weeks ago he spotted one that I had never seen before and all we could figure out was that it was some kind of flycatcher. He spotted it sitting on a fence by the open field and diving down to catch bugs (typical flycatcher behavior) and all we could make out was a yellow splash on its belly. I grabbed the binoculars while Trevor snuck down to lower yard to get a better look with his long lens. (All photos provided by Trevor Adler)

What are you little bird?!

It seemed very skittish so we had to ninja down there and try to get close enough to get pictures of it from all angles if possible. 

Finally, we got got close and captured these few beautiful shots.

I'd never worked with this bird before so it took a little research to find out it was called the Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis). If you know any Latin or Spanish, you can probably get an idea of this bird's personality. It's name translates to vertical tyrant which holds to natural history information I found on AllAboutBirds.org about the Kingbird being feisty and territorial. They will aggressively fend off predators as big as Red-tailed hawks and will raise their red crowns in response to attacks. 

Looks something like this...

[Source]

This illusive bird is known to spend it's winters in Central America and then migrates through Mexico to Western Northern America for the summer breeding season. Sometimes they will wander into Florida or Alabama during their fall migration but not usually their spring migration.

 You'll be able to find these little flycatchers near open fields, especially rural areas posted up on fence posts and wires. Look for it dipping down into the grass to catch bugs and a flash of yellow from it's brightly colored belly. 

I'm looking forward to seeing more of this bird in action now that I know what to look for :) 

Happy Birding everyone!!